How to Add Ab Workouts to MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal does more than simply count calories and record food intake. It can also be used to track exercises. This is because every workout you complete will burn calories, which will impact your food intake on a regular basis. So, how do you add ab workouts to the MyFitnessPal app? It’s actually much easier than you might think.

There are three ways I usually add ab workouts to MyFitnessPal: website, mobile app and third party platforms. It all depends on how integrate your fitness is with the available technology.

Using the Web Portal to Add Ab Workouts

Using the web portal for adding exercises into MyFitnessPal is quite easy. Once you create an account, you have access to a lot of free features. You could always pay for the premium service, but it’s not mandatory. To add ab workouts:

Log in to your MyFitnessPal account.

On the top of your dashboard, you’ll see a link for “Exercise.” Click it.

On this next screen, you’ll see an area where you can add “Cardiovascular” or “Strength Training.” Ab workouts are usually cardio unless you include weights to build muscle mass.

Click on “Add Exercise” on the corresponding list, whether cardio or strength.

On the next screen, search for your specific ab workout. For example, type in “planks” if you did planks. Click “search.”

Now, don’t freak out if your exercise isn’t listed. One of the highlights about MyFitnessPal is that you can add elements to the database. If your workout is missing, click on “Add an exercise to the database.”

Once you add the exercise, it will show up in your activity for the day. You should note that any exercise you put into MyFitnessPal will available for future reference. This way, you don’t have to keep creating new exercises.

You’ll also see a field on the bottom of the screen where you can add exercise notes. I find these useful if I want to keep track of things like progress, goals or how I felt that particular day. It might be useful to look back at your development.

Using the Mobile App to Record Ab Workouts

The mobile app is a bit different than using the website. I can only assume that it’s the same on an iPhone as it is on my Android. If not, I do appologize. To add ab workouts to MyFitnessPal mobile:

Go into your smartphone or tablet’s app for MyFitnessPal.

You should have a homepage screen with a big blue plus sign at the bottom right. Press this button.

Now, there will be a yellow button on the left for “Exercise.” Once you tap this, you can choose “Cardiovascular” or “Strength.” Tap the one that best matches your ab workout.

On this next screen, you’ll see a list of all the exercises you’ve record in MyFitnessPal. If you’re exercise isn’t in this list, search for it.

If the workout isn’t in the database, tap the “Create an Exercise” button.

This next screen is similar to the web portal. It’ll ask for: description, duration of the exercise in minutes, calorie burn and your start time. Once this info is filled out, tap the save button on the top right.

Just like the web portal, this will save the ab workout to your ever-growing database of routines. In the future, you can simply click on the workout and quickly save your stats.

Using Third Party Apps to Add Ab Workouts

I don’t often add my exercises manually to MyFitnessPal. Currently, I have Exercise.com update my routines automatically. The system supports a wide range of third-party apps which will work the same way. This can save a lot of time as each one can calculate your fitness with a high degree of accuracy and success. Here is how all of these work for me:

Exercise.com feeds workout routines into my daily diary.

Runkeeper feeds walks and bike rides into my activity as well.

Fitbit adjusts the calorie burn of my day in MyFitnessPal based on my heart rate and physical movement, which increases the accuracy.

Extra Key Points When You Add Ab Workouts

Here are a few other points that you might need to know when adding exercises to the system. It may be in your best interest to fully explore everything MyFitnessPal has to offer as you may find a few gems that make fitness easier to achieve.

Quick Tools
When adding exercises to your daily record, there is an option for “Quick Tools.” This will let you copy exercises from the day before, from a specific date or copy to a specific date. If you do the same routine repeatedly, this could save you some time.

Calories
You need to know that MyFitnessPal uses a base formula for calculating calories you burn on many of it’s exercises. This is often much lower than your actual burn. If you can determine your specific rate, it will make the data more accurate. Personally, I use my Fitbit Charge HR to calculate this data automatically.

If you’re unsure about how many calories you burn throughout your routine, there are many websites online that can help you get semi-accurate numbers. Just bare in mind that everyone is different and your physique will alter these numbers greatly. However, MyFitnessPal will then “remember” your burn rate per minute if you post that same exercise at a later date. This means you don’t have to calculate it each time, unless you’ve lost a significant amount of weight.

The smaller you are, the less you’ll burn per minute.

Date of Your Diary
Everything you add, whether it’s food or exercise, corresponds to a specific date. Always make sure your entries are on the correct day or it will greatly impact the data. There have been a few times when I posted an exercise and was wondering why my remaining calories were so low. It was because I put the data onto the day before on accident.

Be Honest With Yourself When Recording Data

Using apps like MyFitnessPal to achieve better health are only successful if you’re honest about your data. These are simply tools to be used to get yourself into shape. As a result, you could find yourself in better physical and mental condition. Find what motivates you and enhance your lifestyle.

Michael Brockbank

Michael is a work at home father who has completed a wide assortment of writing regarding various topics. Currently, he is working to achieve a weight loss goal and improve health in order to cross the state of Colorado on bicycle.